Waist-fitting wearing apparel



Jan. 8, 1952 A. H. BUBB WAIST-FITTING WEARING APPAREL 2" SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Nov. 10, 19 49 Jan. 8, 1952 A. H. BUBB 2,581,627

WAIST-FITTING WEARING APPAREL Filed Nov. 10, 1949 2 SI-IEETS-SHEET 2 I)? van Mr AV fred Herben 52M A f/WP)? 6y Patented Jan. 8, 1952 WAISTPFITTING WEARING APPAREL Alfred Bubb, Southdene, Port Elizabeth,

Union-of South Africa Application November 10, 1949, Serial No. 126,476 1 In Union of South AfricaJune, 11, 1949 1 wa than hitherto. It provides also for adjustment of the waist parts for personal comfort quickly and simply without a showing of unsightly surplus material gathered round the waist, and other features hereinafter mentioned, including improved suspension safety and waist cling for keeping the shirt or the like in place, as well as the provision during manufacture of any waist part with a plurality of distinct and definite waist sizes usable at the option of the purchaser, thereby reducing the range of diiferent sizes of garments having to be manufactured to meet demands for various com:- binations of waistsize with leg length and other dimensions.

According to the invention a waist fitting nether garment comprises a waist-band continuous round the sides and back and comprising a front portion, side portions and a rear portion, each of such portions suspending garment ma-- terial, extensions of said front portion reanwardly directed outside the respective side portions from tacki'ngs across the, waist-band, a tunnel through the rear portion, an elastic tension member within the tunnel and the exten sions slidably entering opposite ends of the tunnel and connected by the tension member, the tension member tending to d'rawthe extensions and garment material suspended from the front waistband portion over, with the creation of pleats in, the side waistband portions and their suspended garment material, and means for fastening the extensions directly to the side portions.

The elastic movement of the side extensions causes the folding or pleatingof surplus lengths of waist-band side portions out of sight by drawin'g garment material, e. g. upper side pocket entrance edge portions attached to the extensions and to'the front waist-band portion backwardly in relation to the side portions of the waist-band proper, which may then be buttoned or otherwise similarly fastened outwardly to the waist-band extensions above the said garment material or 4 Claims; (o1. z-em) slant side pockets and embodying one form of the invention by way of example;

Figures 2 and 3 are fragmental views, to a larger scale, of the front part of the trousers shown in Figure l, adjusted to different waist measurements;

Figure 4, of similar kind and scale to Figures 2 and 3, shows parts opened out to disclose underlying parts;

Figures 5 and 6 are developed views showing respectively the outside and the inside appearances of the upper parts of the trousers shown in the earlier figures.

In carrying the invention into effect in the form illustrated in the drawings, trousers are cut in the usual way except that an additional i inches or thereabouts is allowed on the iront top bands to provide side extensions as l, and about 1 inch on each side is allowed on the dependent underside pocket facings 2. These additional dimensions will afford an adjustment of about 2 inches either way to any given waist measurement, for instance, 32 inches which may be reduced to 30 inches or 31 inches, or increased to 33 inches or 34 inches, the buttoning means or the like already indicated affording in one such case five possible increments of adjustment. It is not advisable, of course, to allow for an adjustment much greater than that above indicated.

The trousers are made up in more or less the usual way from a suitable cloth or like material, with fly front 3 apart. from which the waistband is, continuous, straight top l, slant side pockets 5, 5, fixed pleats ii, 6, in front, and front top band I with frontextension B and in addition the side extensions 1 aforesaid, the latter of which, together with the arrangement of the side pockets, so that the rear or entrance edge portions 5a are supported by the extensions 5, constitute essential parts .of this present inven tion.

A tunnel or pocket 9, the material for which is shown in Figure 5 before. tacking down, is formed through the back waist to accommodate the elastic band Ill and the side extension ends, the tunnel entrances being sufficiently large to allow free inward and outward movements of the side extensions and. the elastic joining the same.

The method, of incorporating the side pockets is of importance andthey must be. inserted when the trousers are in the largest specified waist position, see figures. The upper end of theside pocket tacking ll occurs about 2. inches forwardlyrfrofm. the side pocket entrance edges 5a, although this distance may t'evaned to some extent, the tacking ll running vertically over the width of the top band through the latter, so as to leave the side extensions 1 and some 2 inches of the front top band Ta in front of the pocket edge 5a unattached to the undersides. The arrangement of the side pockets in this way affords the means for adjusting the surplus material under the extensions and out of sight, as clear from Figures 1 and 3. With the trousers in the smallest waist position, the pocket entrance edges may be some 1 inch from the tunnel entrances, e. g. as in Figure 1; but this distance may vary so long as in the smallest waist position the entrance edges do not actually pull against the tunnel entrances.

Six buttonholes l2 of suitable size are provided as in Figures 4 and 5, three on each side of the trousers and formed in the underside waist; the first buttonhole on each side being about 1 inch from the tacking ll and 1 inch down from. the top edge t of the waist-band, these buttonholes being arranged one behind the other and spaced 1 inch from head to head with the heads of the buttonholes facing the front of the trousers as shown.

Four buttons, 13, two on each side, are sewn on to the undersides of the extensions, the first button on each side being positioned about inch rearwardly from the tack l l and the second button position about 1 inch from that tack, the buttons being set in line with the buttonholes, so that with the buttons and buttonholes spaced in this way, the trousers may be adjusted by /2 inch increments in waist size if desired.

In attaching the elastic In to the side extensions by stitching or otherwise, the trousers must at that time be brought into the smallest specified waist position, folding or pleating the surplus waist-band side material forwardly. With one end of the elastic stitched as at M!- to one of the side extensions, it is then passed through the tunnel, pulled out of the other end thereof and stitched on to the extremity of the other extension in the same way. The nature and strength of the elastic material used will be such as suifices to support the trousers whilst not interfering with easy breathing of the user in the event of the main or buttoning support failing.

The trousers may then be completed in the ordinary way.

In regard to the position of the tacks l I across the waist-band in relation to the side pocket entrances, these should preferably be at least 1 inch apart for satisfactory results.

Trousers manufactured as above may be adjusted for waist size by unfastening the side adjustments, that is, the .buttons on either side, pulling on the trousers in the normal way, and, when the fly is closed, the elastic in the tunnel will automatically adjust the trousers to the normal waist of the wearer who then proceeds to adjust and fix the waist band to his personal comfort by placing the particular button which is opposite one of the button holes into that particular buttonhole on both sides.

Whilst side pockets in the garment, e. g. trousers, provide, by the described method of forming them in relation to the waist band and side extensions thereof, a ready means of accommodating surplus material suspended from the waist-band side parts within the extensions out of sight, outer parts of side pleats corresponding to outer parts of side pockets may be caused to serve in the same way instead of pockets, an

alternative which may be more readily provided and acceptable in the case of trousers having cross or slant pockets and also of womens skirts, it being understood that the forward parts of the waist band may in such cases conform to ordinary skirt manufacturing practice.

It will be understood that if the adjustments at the sides should collapse, 1. e. should buttons 13 give, the elastic ill will still support the garment, and vice versa: although generally the buttons and buttonholes or other fastenings, such as may alternatively serve the same purpose, take in the ordinary way the main strain of the weight of the trousers, so that the elastic is not constantly subjected to strain. Again if the elastic should perish, it can quite readily be replaced by fresh elastic in a matter .of minutes, as by stitching.

Where trousers or other nether garments are made of such material as has to be laundered frequently, the elastic may be attached to the side extensions in such a manner as to be readily removable from the latter and replaceable, a suitable substitute for stitching being, in such case, by buttons or buckles.

Furthermore, it will be noted that garments embodying the present invention, do not show the supports as these are concealed by the extensions I at all times.

What I claim is:

1. In a waist-fitting nether garment, a, Waistband comprising a front portion, side portions joined to the front portion, and a rear portion joinin the rear ends of the side portions and having an open-ended tunnel formed therein, said waistband being continuous around the sides and back of the garment and having garment material suspended from each of said portions, waistband extensions at opposite sides of said front portion extending rearwardly from the junction of the front and side portions of the waistband, said extensions overlying'said side portions and slidably entering said open-ended tunnel of the rear portion, cooperating fastening means on said extensions and the side portions of the waistband for adjustably fastening the extensions directly to said side portions in different positions relative to one another in a fore and aft direction, and a tension member in the tunnel connecting the rear ends of the extensions and acting on said extensions to draw the ends of the extensions into the tunnel a greater or 1ess amount in accordance with the adjustable fastening between the extensions and said side portions of the waistband, whereby the waistband presents a continuous smooth appearance inall adjusted positions.

2. In a waist-fitting nether garment, a waistband comprising a front portion, side portions joined to the front portion, and a rear portion joining the rear ends of the side portions and having an open-ended tunnel formed therein, said waistband being continuous around the sides and back of the garment, waistband extensions at opposite sides of said front portion extending rearwardly from the junction of the front and side portions of the waistband, said extensions overlying said side portions and slidably entering said tunnel of the rear portion of garment material suspended from the rear portion of the waistband, front portions of garment material suspended from the front portion of the waistband, side pockets disposed between the front and rear portions of the garment material and hav- 7 ing upper entrance edge portions attached only to said extensions and inner portions attached to the side portions of said waistband, cooperating fastening means on said extensions and the side portions of the waistband for adjustably fastening the extensions directly to said side portions in different positions relative to one another in a fore and aft direction, and a tension member in the tunnel connecting the rear ends of the extensions and acting on said extensions to draw the ends of the extensions into the tunnel a greater or less amount in accordance with the adjustable fastening between the extensions and said side portions of the waistband, whereby the waistband presents a continuous smooth appearance in all adjusted positions.

3. In a waist-fitting nether garment, at waistband comprising front, side and rear portions, the waistband being continuous around the sides and back of the garment and the rear portion having an open-ended tunnel provided therein, waistband extensions extending rearwardly from opposite sides of the front portion and overlying the side portions of the waistband, rear end portions of the extensions being received in said tunnel, rear portions of garment material suspended from the rear portion of the waistband, front portions of garment material suspended from the front portion of the waistband, side pockets opening between the front and rear portions of the garment material and having upper entrance edge portions attached only to said extensions, fastening means on the inner face of said extensions and cooperating fastening means located at a, plurality of spaced points on each of said side portions of the waistband for adjusta'bly fastening the extensions directly to said side portions in different positions relative to one another in a fore and aft direction, and a tension member in the tunnel connecting the rear ends of the extensions and acting on said extensions to draw the ends of the extensions into the tunnel a greater, or less amount in accordance with the adjustable fastenin between the extensions and said side portions of the waistband, whereby the waistband presents a continuous smooth appearance in all adjusted positions.

4. In a waist-fitting nether garment, a waistband comprising front, side and rear portions, the waistband being continuous around the sides and back of the garment, and the rear portion having an open-ended tunnel therein, waistband extensions extending rearwardly from opposite sides of the front portion, said extensions overlying the side portions of the waistband and slidably entering said tunnel, front, side and rear portions of garment material suspended from the waistband, portions of garment material forming continuations of the front portions of garment material suspended from said extensions and overlying portions of material suspended from the side portions of the waistband, fastening means on the inner face of said extensions and cooperating fastening means on the side portions of the waistband for adjustably fastening the extensions di-- rectly to said side portions in different positions relative to one another in a fore and aft direction, and a tension member in the tunnel connecting the rear ends of the extensions and acting on said extensions to draw the ends of the extensions into the tunnel a greater or less amount in accordance with the adjustable fastening between the extensions and said side portions of the waistband, whereby visible portions of the waistband and of the adjacent garment material present a neat, smooth appearance in all adjustable positions.

ALFRED H. BUBB.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

